The present invention provides a protective bridle for waterskiers. The bridle helps to prevent serious injury in the event of a fall.
In the sport of waterskiing, an athlete is pulled by a ski line which is attached to a motorboat. The interface between the waterskier and the line is called a bridle. The bridle includes a handle, having the form of a generally cylindrical bar, which can be gripped by the waterskier with one or both hands. The ends of the handle are connected to cables or cords, made of the same kind of material, typically polypropylene, as the ski line. These cords join each other, at a point forward of the handle, to form a single line pulled by the boat. Thus, the bridle has a generally triangular configuration, as shown in FIG. 1.
The waterski bridles of the prior art have included an open triangular region. That is, there is substantial open space between the ski lines connected to the ends of the handle. This open space creates a hazard, especially when waterskiing is conducted at high speeds.
In high-speed waterskiing, there are many occasions when the waterskier is traveling faster than the boat. This is the result of the fact that, while maneuvering around obstacles in a curved path, the waterskier travels along a path which is longer than that traversed by the boat. In many such situations, the waterskier may be moving at speeds of tens of miles per hour, and sometimes up to about seventy miles per hour.
If a ski becomes stuck, either because of an obstacle in the water, or due to an improper movement of the skier, the skier will continue to move forward due to inertia. In such a situation, the skier's arm or head may be pushed rapidly and with great force through the bridle. Due to the high speed of the skier, the above effect will likely cause serious injury or even death. At high speeds, the open bridle used in waterskiing is a significant hazard.
The present invention provides an improved bridle for waterskiing, which virtually eliminates the possibility of injury due to the movement of body parts through the bridle.
The invention also provides additional improvements in the bridle, and in the ski line connecting the bridle with the boat.